National co-chairs;
Zita Holbourne & Lee Jasper.
The four main objectives of the campaign are: To campaign and defend jobs and services. To highlight the disproportionate and adverse impact of reduction in public spending on black communities, provide a campaigning platform to fight against cuts, To work in partnership/build alliances with others facing similar attacks. Email: barac.info@gmail.com

Blog Archive

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

We are fighting to eliminate bigotry, and racism from the workplace.

Too many black people suffer in silence and thier are professions who claim that their process of grievance and disciplinary investigations are not governed by UK equalities laws.

We must secure are equality in the courts. We must fund this action ourselves and this is our first self funded example.

We ask that you support is and help to raise much needed resources to support our own independant legal strategy designed to secure equality in the workplace.Press Release.

BME Organisations in Historic challenge to Government attempt to undermine the Equality Act 2010 in the Supreme Court in the case of P v Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Several national African, Caribbean and Asian organisations have just filed a historic legal precedent in the Supreme Court to protect the rights of BME professionals such as police officers, doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, solicitors, barristers, judges and magistrates.

Over 100,000 BME professionals may be affected by the ruling.

In a historic case due to be heard before the Supreme Court on 4th May the Metropolitan Police are fighting to prevent an officer challenging her dismissal by claiming that police disciplinary tribunals are protected by Judicial immunity. Police Misconduct tribunals are chaired by a lawyer appointed according to judicial appointment criteria.

A decision by the Supreme Court is expected in September.

“The Ministry of Justice are using the same argument to argue that the three Judges currently suing the MOJ for race, sex discrimination and victimization cannot bring their cases against the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) and that every decision taken by nominated Judges investigating misconduct is exempt from the Equality Act.

“This Amicus Curiae brief is a historic legal application summarising the institutional racism faced by BME professionals in a range of professional organisations including the police, medical, and legal profession. The action by the Metropolitan Police Service, supported by the Ministry of Justice would seek to restrict the principle of equality before the law and access to justice, undermining the Lawrence Inquiry recommendations in the process. The Supreme Court has to carefully examine the wider socio-economic consequences of their ruling in the case of P.”

Ismet Rawat, President, of the Association of Muslim Lawyers said,

“If the Supreme Court decides to extend Judicial Immunity to disciplinary tribunals within the police force there is a reasonable likelihood that it will seriously undermine the ability of many BME professionals to challenge discrimination of all forms.

This will be a retrograde step at a time of increasing racism generally, Islamophobia in particular and sexism in post-Brexit UK and the post-Trump world. It is somewhat ironic that the highest court of the land, which is now aware of the absence of diversity in the Judiciary must itself decide on a case that goes to the heart of who is truly able to enjoy equality before the law. BME organisations will be watching with interest.”

Lee Jasper, former Policing Director for London and former Equalities lead for the London Criminal Justice Board (2000-2008) said,

“This case marks the beginning of a post Brexit legal civil rights strategy that a number of national black organizations are actively considering one of whose important aims is to substantially reduce racism in the workplace. Black professionals are catching hell in the workplace and for some, the law as its currently understood by the courts, offers them little to no protection.

Black professionals are important and serve as role models for a black community suffering close to 50% youth unemployment. When our young people see that Black professionals suffer unfair race discrimination, they become disenchanted, angry and alienated from society.

If post Brexit anti discriminatory laws are now to determined here in the UK, then we say that our aim should be no less than to substantively reduce race discrimination in the workplace in a matter of years, not decades.We find in our experience, that wherever 'discretion' is allowed in employment grievance and disciplinary processes, there you will find discrimination.

With Black graduate unemployment rising remorselessly now's the time to act. We want to establish the primacy of UK equalities legislation in all aspect of employment law, particularly the area of work place race complaints.”

Viv Ahmun of Blaksox stated,

“This is not some theoretical legal case restricted to so called BME professionals but will affect the aspirations and lives of all BME communities for generations to come. Our role models and professional leaders are crucially important to lift our whole community.

It is pointless for the Government to back the review into the disproportionate BME prison population being conducted by David Lammy M.P. on the one hand whilst with the other it seeks to remove equality for those that seek to break through the racial barriers within British society.”

Simon Wooley, the Director of Operation Black Vote commented,

“We must keep up the fight: This landmark case strikes at everything we care about; justice, equality and accountability. Any backsliding undermines all three, and in effect tells Black communities that we care little for your hard won civil rights. At a time when Parliament itself is failing to represent the diversity of BME communities and only 22% of race and religious discrimination cases are successful in the Employment Tribunal it is a disgrace that the Metropolitan Police and Justice Department are seeking to restrict that further by hiding behind Judicial immunity.”For further information please contact: -